Child's Play
by HakuHebi
Summary: The Seigaku Regulars must raise some money...with Fuji's play.Fujicentric.AN: Last update for the year. Sorry.TT
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own PoT. No puns intended. 

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Child's Play 

Prologue

- Fuji Yumiko -

"Oh, but you are too kind!" replies Fuji Yumiko, reciprocating the warmth of her colleague, since it would be considered impolite to say "Of course he is!" honestly.

For her little brother is, indeed, perfect. Unrivaled intelligence, ethereal looks, flawless manners, Fuji Syuusuke has it all. How can anyone not love him?

Imagine her shock, then, to find little Syuusuke cornered, by three boys from a near-by school, on the way home many years ago.

Of course she had sensed it all along! The horrible feeling was what made her leave school early in the first place! But never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that! Syuusuke! Charming, angelic Syuusuke, bullied by boys twice his age! No! No! How could something like that happen to her beloved little brother? Oh, how she butchered those hooligans with her umbrella! She didn't even know she had a violent streak. But then again, how dare they touch her brother?

Naturally Syuusuke wasn't happy with her telling Mom and Dad. But what could she do? She was barely fourteen at the time! She had to let their parents know that Syuusuke was in danger! And of course Mom absolutely refused to let Syuusuke go back to that damned school or play soccer any more. She agreed too. Those kids on Syuusuke's team had serious problems. Just because Syuusuke was great at soccer, (and brilliant at every subject taught in class, and favoured by teachers and coaches and cafeteria ladies and parents and girls and everyone else,) they thought they had the right to ask their big brothers to bully Syuusuke. So much for good sportsmanship.

Fine, maybe banning soccer was a bit of some over-protectiveness on their part. But everyone was afraid that it'd happen again. They only wanted to keep Syuusuke safe.

It pained her to see him so disappointed when Mom brought him the news. Poor Syuusuke had never been so depressed. Yuuta, too, hated moving, and simply shut himself up for two whole hours (which brought Mom to the verge of tears, since Yuuta needed food every hour back then, when he was awake that is). Yuuta didn't know what really happened though. He was too young, for God's sake, and Syuusuke made her swear not to tell.

Anyway Mom was determined, so they did move. The three siblings transferred, and Syuusuke had never touched a soccer ball since. They didn't pay for the injuries she caused with her umbrella though. Beaten up by a girl, the bullies wanted little attention.

Even to this day, she finds it odd that it was Yuuta who cheered Syuusuke up and not the other way around. Perhaps Syuusuke's passion for soccer was greater than anyone had thought possible. Otherwise Syuusuke wouldn't be down for so long. The truth is, Syuusuke is quite cheerful by nature. Some people find his ever-smiling face creepy, but as his older sister she knows better. Syuusuke is simply always amused, because he has a knack of finding entertainment out of everything.

It was lovely how Yuuta brought everything back together, without knowing that was what he did. (Really, her brothers always amaze her.) Yuuta, who had been sulking one day, came home with two small tennis racquets and chattering non-stop the next. It was unexpected. It was wonderful. Syuusuke's smile became, once again, genuine; he had always loved playing with Yuuta.

Mom thought tennis was okay. The players were separated by the net, after all. It was not exactly the sport where coaches could (or would) send out huge players to get those from another team. Besides, Mom loved the sight of her cheerful boys; she didn't want to strip them of their happiness. And after all, nobody thought Syuusuke was serious enough to join a tennis team (indeed he hadn't, not until he went to Seigaku anyway). But then again, how could anyone tell? Syuusuke had won some tennis tournament and casually filed the certificate away with all his other random papers into a shoebox as if it wasn't of any importance. (Now, what did he do with the trophy? She can't remember.)

Had he been serious about tennis back then? Had he? Yumiko rakes her brain for an answer but is rewarded with none. There was no sign. Or was there? Syuusuke's transfer to Seigaku was sudden, but did it really mean something? It is impossible to tell. Even she, Fuji Yumiko, with all those psychic powers that she is so proud of, has only sensed a trace of uncertainty, (so small it was that she can't even remember when it occurred,) before deciding to push it away as something negligible.

o0o the beautiful divider o0o

I still have to figure out how to use this website. Please review. I know my tense is all over the place. Can anyone please help me with tenses? I'm struggling.

I will try my best to update often, but I can't promise anything because I have a heavy course load. So please be patient.

Thank you for your support.

Haku


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own PoT.

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Child's Play 

Chapter One

- Tezuka Kunimitsu -

"I understand."

Tezuka Kunimitsu, captain of the Seigaku tennis club, looked at his coach with a resigned look and massaged his temples. Which, when converted into the what-an-average-person-would-do standard, would equate to falling off his chair, struggling to get up, failing, crawling to the wall, and bashing his head against the wall.

"Very well. I wish you the best of luck then." Ryosaki-sensei said, as soothingly as she could, before exiting the tennis club office.

"Yes."

Tezuka watched his coach leave, but his brain was still buzzing with her sudden message.

His tennis club, one would think, was _not_ about plays, right? Fuji Syuusuke, the tennis tensai, was _not_, one would think, a playwright, right?

Wrong.

Apparently his club _was_ about plays.

Apparently Fuji _was_ a playwright.

Fuji's play, which happened to be not even remotely related to tennis, had attracted the principal's attention. Better still, the principal was under the impression that the tennis club should act it out for the school festival.

And he thought Seigaku had a drama club.

Tezuka took out a piece of paper, and wrote, in his neat writing, "F, 100."

He stopped. Is that too much? Surely Fuji can handle it.

But it is cold outside, a small voice reminded him.

Fuji was lazy on very cold days, so he would complain afterwards. Not that Fuji complained about laps. No, Fuji never complained. But Fuji had always made him pay in the end. Fuji would, for example, steal his lunch the next day. Actually he wouldn't steal it. He would ask for it, saying he doesn't have a lunch and could Tezuka kindly share his. He would put in lots and lots of wasabi. Then Fuji would sit there and watch him eat with a bright smile. Fuji would also ask for his water. If he doesn't give it to him Fuji would end up not drinking anything for the whole day, which was bad for his health, so he would always end up giving in, even though he knew that Fuji only asks for his water to contaminate it with some Inui Juice. Fuji would also draw, in _his_ dictionary, a crying teddy bear running in a blizzard, with an iceberg monster chasing after it. So in a way Fuji did complain. It could get very troublesome when others see his dictionary. Not that he minded the weird looks, but he preferred to avoid uncomfortable situations if he could. So he kept a dictionary just for Fuji, who had grown more dependent and practically borrowed it everyday, not to use it properly but to draw in it. Really.

Thinking about Fuji made his head ache.

He hastily scratched out the 100 and wrote 50 on top.

But maybe that's still too much? The uncertainty crept up again. Fuji seems to tire very easily lately.

Winter was just around the corner, and Fuji tired easily when it's cold. Fuji's body temperature had always been lower than average, so he must wear more to keep warm because when he's warm he doesn't feel as sleepy. It didn't show in spring or autumn because Fuji had a small frame, but in winter Fuji must be literally wrapped from head to toe if he were to function properly. And since Fuji disliked being special he wore far too little for his own good and had always ended up burning himself out. So by practice Fuji's usually not in his prime condition. In winter Fuji avoided moving as much as he could and slept more too.

But is today really cold?

Tezuka snapped out of his thoughts when the door gently creaked open to reveal an egg-shaped head.

"Good afternoon Buchou." Oishi greeted him respectfully, before stepping into the room. "I just saw Ryosaki-sensei in the hallway. She said we will organize a play for the school festival."

"We must." Tezuka replied, slowly massaging his temples again. "One, we do not have any matches during winter, and two, we need to fundraise. Here." He handed the vice-captain a stack of papers.

True enough. The school did not seem to think they were serious about that new court. The principal said he would only approve the application if the tennis club could raise five hundred thousand yen by January.

"Oh. I didn't know we need that much. Do you think it possible?"

"With Fuji's play, yes." Tezuka said dryly.

Oishi turned pale. "Fuji's play? The one about that girl?"

"Yes."

"Tezuka, do we have to?"

The captain nodded. "I will inform the other regulars today after practice."

Groaning inwardly, Oishi decided that it was high time to go shopping again, for aspirin. Funny, he thought he just bought a box a couple of weeks ago. Didn't he? Now where did they go? What if Eiji mistook them for candies? Oh no! He must find them quickly. Actually he must go find Eiji quickly...

"Oishi, is it cold?"

"Huh?" Eiji? Cold? "No. Why?"

"Nothing."

o0o the beautiful divider o0o

Wow. I got reviews. Cries

Thank you for reviewing. I really appreciate it. It makes me so happy. Smiles

I hope Tezuka is not too OOC in this chapter. This is my interpretation of Tezuka. I think he is concerned with his team members' well-being, although he does not show it like Oishi does.

Hope you liked it.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own PoT.

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Child's Play 

Chapter Two

- Echizen Ryoma -

"Iyada!"

Echizen Ryoma, the youngest, and arguably the cutest Seigaku regular, jumped at Eiji's suggestion.

He had been enjoying the show until now. During practice there was Inui-sempai's Penal Tea, Eiji-sempai's incessant whining, Fuji-sempai's creepy smile, and, of course, Momo-sempai and Kaidoh-sempai's usual fight. After that came the announcement regarding some school play, and apparently (how could he tell? He wasn't paying attention) hell had broken loose. Everyone started arguing. So he started paying attention. He sure was glad he did, because Eiji-sempai, the hyperactive Eiji-sempai who's always full of ideas, suggested that he, Echizen Ryoma, would look cute in a dress!

"How about Fuji-sempai? He'd make a pretty girl!" Ryoma snapped back.

Uh-oh.

The moment Ryoma said it he regretted it. He wasn't thinking clearly. But how could Eiji-sempai do this to him? Cross-dressing! The very idea! It was embarrassing! And Momo was laughing his stupid head off as if it were funny. He had to do something, anything. So he blurted out the first thing that crossed his mind, which happened to be taboo. The words Fuji and pretty simply did not appear in the same sentence.

Ryoma could sense everybody move away from Fuji, although nobody really moved. He was on the verge of saying something equally stupid when the tensai said, casually, "Saa. I was hoping to play the bear, actually."

"Nya, I think Fuji will make a wonderful hunter though! If you play the bear who's going to be the hunter nya?"

For a split second Ryoma forgot that Eiji was the one who caused the problem in the first place, and was degradingly grateful to his energetic senior for changing the subject. He didn't show any of this internal turmoil, however, since that would make his seniors (fine, Eiji-sempai) gush and cuddle him. Fortunately, all the regulars had superb reflexes, so everyone recovered from the initial shock and resumed arguing. By the end of the meeting, everyone seemed to have forgotten about his blunder.

Ryoma sighed. He knew that Fuji was still on his case. He had a feeling that the tensai will be very, very pleasant with him until he somehow redeems himself.

"Ryoma, wanna go get some hamburgers?"

All you think about is food. Ryoma thought bitterly. Momo just had to be so insensitive, talking to him about food when he might not see the sun rise tomorrow. Looking over his shoulder, Ryoma saw Fuji talking with Inui. Great, he thought, Inui's Juice and God knows what else.

"Well? You in or what?"

To be honest, he was a little hungry after all that running Tezuka-buchou had assigned (fifty laps for practice and an extra twenty for him being late). And since Momo was the one who asked him...

"Sure. Your treat."

"Who said that? The slowest person pays." With that Momo jumped onto his bike with a stupid smirk and headed straight for their favourite hangout.

"Sempai you cheater!"

Without a second thought, Ryoma flung his tennis bag (aiming at Momo's gigantic head of course) and started running.

o0o the beautiful divider o0o


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own PoT.

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Child's Play 

Chapter Three

- Inui Sadaharu -

"Yes. I look forward to our joint venture."

Inui Sadaharu, the data maniac of the Seigaku tennis team, adjusted the position of his highly reflective glasses with his index finger out of sheer habit, for nobody was present to admire the evilly beautiful glint. He had spent the past half an hour calculating, and finally picked up the telephone when he decided that Fuji's offer was in fact attractive as promised.

"Naturally. How about Sunday?"

For tomorrow was Saturday, and he must meet Kaidoh for practice in the morning. After that there was some shopping to be done. Then they would eat somewhere and go back for more practice. Saturday was not a good idea. He had the whole day planned out already. And this meeting should not, according to Fuji, be squeezed into his busy schedule. It would take half a day, if not more.

"Yes, that is fine with me. Would ten o'clock be convenient?"

He couldn't make it any earlier. On Saturday he would sleep very late because of his practice session with Kaidoh. But he didn't tell Fuji that. They didn't really keep it a secret, his training with Kaidoh and everything; they simply failed to mention anything to the rest of the regulars. The team didn't have to know how much they trained anyway.

"Right. I will remember."

Inui made a mental note to bring his chemistry notes when he visits Fuji on Sunday. It was just like Fuji to come up with a clever cover-up should anyone sees him near the Fuji residence (since they were not very close, Fuji and he). Fuji happened to have a chemistry test on Monday.

Very convenient indeed, he mused. As expected of Fuji Syuusuke.

"One last question. This... project... does seem to require a fair amount of money..."

Naturally he had to ask before jumping straight into anything. He was by no means rich. His experiments did cost quite a fortune, and his income could not be raised due to certain rules (which he must obey in order to obtain his material). The lack of funds would be a serious problem considering how costly this scheme could be.

"Brilliant. Good night to you then."

Putting down the receiver, Inui's lips curved slightly upward. More data, he promised himself, more exclusive, useful, quality data.

It was only Friday night; and he could hardly wait.

o0o the beautiful divider o0o

Once again, thanks to everyone for reviewing.

Haku

p.s. Does anyone want to guess who's coming up next? Hint: Inui's question.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own PoT.

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Child's Play 

Chapter Three

- Atobe Keigo -

"Ore-sama hates waiting. Right Kabaji?"

"Usu."

Atobe Keigo, the captain of the Hyotei tennis club, glanced at his watch with irritation.

Being reared as the center of the universe, Atobe Keigo hated waiting.

But he had done a lot of waiting lately. Waiting for Yuushi; waiting for Jiroh; and now, Syuusuke. Just because he was too refined to yell at them for being late, everyone decided that he had nothing to do with his time.

He had been waiting for ten minutes already; not because Syuusuke was late though; there were still five more minutes until noon. He had been waiting because he was early.

Atobe kicked himself for coming early, mentally. Why on earth was he early again? He knew Syuusuke loved to sleep in on cold days, didn't he?

It wasn't fair.

He had never made Syuusuke wait.

So how could Syuusuke, who knew perfectly well that he disliked filthiness, make him wait in such a disgraceful… place? For it could not be (he refused to believe it was, no matter what Syuusuke said) a restaurant. It was filled with commoners who soaked up in his glamour, and he was annoyed. Not that he was selfish and didn't want to share his elegance. Elegance he had plenty, and couldn't care less about it. It was, for him, at least, innate. So it wasn't like anyone could take it away from him. No. He wasn't annoyed because people were admiring him and wishing to be more like him. The world would be much better with more people like him. But then again, how could he expect that much? It wasn't fair for him set such high standards for everyone else just because he had the talent to do everything perfectly.

He was annoyed because a few women were making him feel uncomfortable. He knew he was deadly handsome. But drooling like hungry wolves was a bit too much, right? He asked a question (what did he ask again? He forgot. He only asked something to make sure that Kabaji, the faithful Kabaji, was behind him), and was glad that the drooling women had finally realized that he was not alone, that he was protected.

It wasn't that he needed Kabaji's protection. He had been learning martial arts for as long as he could remember. The only child of the Atobe family, his life was indeed valuable. The corporation could not afford to lose its only heir. So he'd been taught to protect himself, for bodyguards rarely provided satisfactory results. What a waste of money; his father had once said, when they stole away from the mansion and made everybody worry; they get paid so much and can't even look after three five-year-olds properly. His father was almost fuming when they got back, which was very alarming since he was a very controlled man. And that was how Kabaji took up the post. Kabaji followed him like a shadow from then on. At first it was annoying, since he was not used to his presence. But he did grow used to it. He found Kabaji invaluable when he was old enough to go out on his own. He had no idea that women could be so scary, with his mother always so charming and poised. He would never forget the day he ran into those horrible women. He shuddered – mentally, of course, for the Atobes did not shudder – at the thought. It was that day when he saw Kabaji's power. But still, strong as he was, Kabaji was mostly for show. He looked, and that was enough. People turned pale at the sight of him. Kabaji was faithful too, and carried out his orders with remarkable efficiency.

Atobe was going to take a look at his watch again, but froze when he caught the sight of his smiling childhood friend, who went straight for the glass door.

Atobe twitched, physically this time. Seriously, what had he done to deserve this?

Ignoring the curious looks thrown his way, he marched to his unconscious friend, made sure he was safely tugged into the limo, and asked the chauffeur for a cell phone before telling him to head home.

"Tanaka-san? Please get Sato-sensei and Ishida-sensei. Ore-sama will be back in ten minutes."

"Master Keigo? Are you hurt?"

"Ore-sama's fine." Atobe rolled his eyes. Would he be calling if he weren't? Then he realized that the two he named were the best doctors in Tokyo, so he couldn't blame the butler for asking. "Syuusuke is not. But nothing serious."

"I'm glad. Would you like to have the wasabi taken care of?"

"Yes, please. Thank you." He had almost forgotten about the wasabi issue. Thank God Tanaka-san was here.

"My pleasure."

Well, that was that. He should probably call Yumiko nee-san now.

o0o the beautiful divider o0o

Er... This is all I have. I was working on this fic all night and didn't work on my essay at all. I simply cannot afford to procrastinate anymore, so I won't be able to update for a long time. I guess this is not a cliffie so that's good. Sorry about it. T-T


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